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Updates Regarding the NEORSD's Stormwater Management Program and Fees

On September 21, 2015, we published an
article on this blog regarding the Ohio Supreme Court upholding the Northeast
Ohio Regional Sewer District’s (NEORSD) stormwater management program. Since
then, NEORSD has been posting updated information on their web site to respond
to questions it receives about the stormwater program restart, fees, credits,
cost sharing and more.

Stormwater billing will resume in the second half of
2016.NEORSD will not back bill
for the stormwater fees during the time its program was on hold. Anyone that
had an approved credit from NEORSD prior to the program being halted will have
that credit applied to their fees once billing resumes. A staff member from
NEORSD should be contacting such parties to address the submission of a renewal
form as a condition of the credit.

The types of parcels exempt for the stormwater fee are
public roads and highways, public airport runways and taxiways, railroad rights-of-way,
many city-owned properties, and public and not-for-profit cemeteries.

For a typical homeowner, the stormwater fee will range from
$3.09/month, $5.15/month or $9.27/month, depending on the amount of impervious
area per residence. Account holders that qualify for the Homestead program will
pay a stormwater fee of $2.07/month. These fees may be further increased in
following years and from year to year based on NEORSD’s funding needs to
continue implementing its stormwater management program.

The rates for commercial properties will be determined based
upon $5.15 per “Equivalent Residential Unit” (ERU). An ERU equals 3,000 square feet
of impervious area. The total fee for a commercial property will depend on the
amount of impervious area located on the property.However, if a commercial property’s ERU
totals more than 10 ERUs (i.e., more than 30,000 square feet of impervious
area), that a declining block fee is applied that progressively lowers the per
ERU charge for those in excess of 10 per parcel.

Some homeowners in the areas covered by NEORSD may qualify
for Homestead, Affordability and Crisis Assistance Programs and should check
with NEORSD for more information. There are other fee credits that may be
available to residential and non-residential customers for stormwater control
measures that are implemented on a property. NEORSD also offers a couple of
savings programs for qualifying schools.

Any stormwater fee credit application or billing inquiry
that was pending when the program was halted will be restarted by the NEORSD
staff.

For more information, click
here to access NEORSD’s FAQ on the Stormwater Program.

This blog is for informational and educational purposes only. We are not providing legal advice and using information published on this blog does not create an attorney-client relationship with us. You should not act upon information presented on this blog without seeking professional legal counsel as every situation is unique and should be evaluated on its own merits.

The information posted on this blog is provided on an "as-is" or "as available" basis. We are not perfect and make no warranty of any kind to you regarding the information provided. If you believe that certain content is inaccurate or false, please contact us so we can review the content and take steps to correct it as appropriate. We disclaim any liability for damages from use of this blog or its content.